UPDATE 3 - Rescue teams from Europe help in relief efforts in quake-hit southern Türkiye

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS

By Ahmet Gencturk and Beyza Binnur Donmez

ANKARA/ISTANBUL (AA) - Rescue teams from European countries are actively involved in the ongoing relief efforts in southern Türkiye after the region was hit by strong earthquakes on Monday, in which over 9,000 people have been killed.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, struck nine other provinces as well, and affected more than 13 million people.

The tremors were also felt in Syria, where the death toll has crossed 2,800.

- Spain, Greece

Spain's Military Emergency Unit said its teams continued to dug through the rubble of collapsed buildings for possible survivors in the Islahiye district of Gaziantep province.

Madrid had announced a day earlier that it would mobilize health professionals and a field hospital in the earthquake zone.

The country’s Defense Ministry said two navy ships loaded with aid materials were also on their way to Türkiye to support relief operations.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares also announced that €1.5 million ($1.6 million) will be sent immediately as part of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' call for aid to Türkiye and Syria.

Meanwhile, EMAK, special disaster team of the Greek Fire Services, said it rescued four people, three of them children, from under the debris of buildings in Hatay province.

Greek public broadcaster ERT said as many as 18 personnel from EMAK and the country's emergency care services EKAV were to be dispatched to Türkiye.

- Teams from Poland, Italy

From Poland, 15 rescuers in four teams from the State Fire Services (PSP) have been operating in the Besni district of Adiyaman province.

The PSP's commander Andrew Bartkowiak said on Twitter that the teams had rescued eight people.

The Polish Defense Ministry announced that the army will send a team of 52 doctors, nurses and paramedics along with a fully-equipped mobile medicare unit.

A 76-strong Polish search and rescue team has been helping in rescue and relief operations in Turkey since Tuesday.

An Italian contingent consisting of 50 rescuers from the country's fire services and Civil Protection Ministry has also been operating since Monday night in Hatay.

The Italian Navy ship San Marco will also soon depart for Türkiye with a field hospital provided by the northwestern Piedmont region, Civil Defense Minister Nello Musumeci said.

- Germany, France

Teams from Germany's international search and rescue agency (ISAR), which consist of 50 rescuers, are also in Hatay.

The ISAR said on Twitter that its personnel in the Kirikhan district rescued a 16-year-old boy and a woman.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz said German search and rescue teams, and technical experts have already started working in the earthquake region, and that additional teams were on the way.

Maximilian Kall, spokepserson for the German Interior Ministry, said in a press conference that 80 tons of materials and equipment, including tents, sleeping bags, blankets, camp beds, heaters and generators, were allocated for those affected by the earthquakes.

Kall said that they are in close contact with the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).

France's General Directory of Civil Defense and Crisis Management tweeted that a 73-strong team was working alongside local Turkish rescuers and "doing everything possible to rescue the victims trapped under the rubble" in Osmaniye province.

France will also send a field hospital that will be operational for at least 15 days, with a capacity of 10-15 surgical interventions per day, as well as 83 more rescuers and a firefighter team.

So far, in total, 23 countries have offered 29 search & rescue and five medical teams and consequently, 1,485 rescuers and 100 search dogs were mobilized to save lives, said EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid on Twitter.

- Lithuania, Belgium

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis announced that €500,000 worth of tents, blankets, medical supplies and medicines will be sent to Türkiye.

Meanwhile, the Belgian Foreign Affairs Ministry said €5 million worth of humanitarian aid will be provided for both Türkiye and Syria.

The ministry said authorities were preparing to send an emergency medical team to set up a field hospital and provide medical assistance to those in need.

- Aid mobilization in Balkans

Western Balkan countries of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Croatia launched aid campaigns for earthquake victims in Türkiye.

In its extraordinary session, the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina approved €500,000 in aid for Türkiye "to repair the damage" caused by the earthquakes.

Citizens in Bosnia and Herzegovina also donated in large numbers to a campaign launched by the charity association Pomozi.ba.

Turkish citizens and Montenegrins living in the capital Podgorica also set up a booth to help earthquake victims.

The Islamic Union of Montenegro, meanwhile, announced a collection drive for the disaster victims.

In the Sandzak region, home to a large Bosniak community, clothing, blankets, and hygiene materials were collected.

Many institutions and organizations operating in North Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo are also working to help the quake victims.